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Sunday, October 22, 2006

UCF 5 Miler - a 5M PR

It was a warm, sunny day for this race. A bit too warm, in fact. It was about 75 degrees and 97% humidity with no wind. At the start it wasn't too bad, but as the sun came up, it became quite warm.

In typical race fashion, I went out quickly, keeping up with the folks around me. I finished mile 1 in 9:15 - much faster than my normal pace - and I could feel it. I slowed my pace a bit and worked to keep going until the first water break but had to take a short walking break....the first water break was just before mile 2. I covered the second mile in 10:07 - still on the faster side but closer to the pace I was hoping for in the race. I reached mile 3 at just over 30 minutes into the race. Still a pretty good pace for trying to hit 50 minutes, but I could tell that I was pretty spent. I chided myself for wanting to stop and walk after only 3 miles, I mean, what was I going to do when it came to running 26?

Shaking off the self criticism, I pressed on. I took a few more walking breaks - to help catch my breath and give me a stronger finish. The 4th mile took me 11:07 to complete. Not too bad, and I was starting to feel a little better. I tried to keep my stride quick and shorter, focused on being relaxed to run more economically. I was in my last mile, and I told my daugther before leaving the house this morning that I would run that one for her - so after a short break, I started out on the last mile. I did take a 30 sec break about halfway through, then pressed on.

As I got near the finish, the runners that had already finished the race were making their way back down the course to encourage the runners that were coming in. That was a sign that I were close. I sped up a little at that point, and as I could see I was in the last quarter mile, I fell into a comfortable sprint to the finish line. It felt good to stretch out my stride and run for the finish. I crossed the line at 51:40, or a net of 51:15. Although I was hoping to get to 50 min, this time was a new PR for me. My best 5 mile training runs were 52:40 and my last UCF 5 miler 2 years ago was about 58 minutes.

As much as I felt like I was having a tough race, I did really well. I hung in there and finished strong. The last mile took me 10:05, not a bad finish considering how fast I started out.

I have had an easy weekend. We have had company and so I have been breaking my diet, eating more red meat and even some fries along with a few glasses of wine. Somehow I think the race was tougher because I didn't stick to my diet - at least that sounds plausable.

This coming week is a recovery week leading up to my 18 mile run next weekend. Just 11 weeks until the big race.

4 comments:

Wow, keep up the great work, your times are good. Again, don't be so hard on yourself on timing, boy if I could run a mile it would be a miracle. Anyway, keep it up sis, your doing a terrific job, I wish I was there waiting for you at the finish line. Wow. Anyway I have a crazy next few week and I know as the holidays come up and doesn't get any better, but hang in there, talk to you soon. Tammy

Great job! I've just discovered your blog, and I now have it bookmarked. I enjoy your style. I, too, am training for my first marathon. Last year I was injured trying to do so, thus this year I am working towards it again. But I'm being much smarter about it thanks to Steve Runner and all of the sources I've discovered thanks to his show. Keep up the good work!

About Me

I'm a 54 year-young woman turned runner over the past 14 years and marathoner over the past 10 years. Married almost 27 years to my best friend, mom to two incredible girls, I juggle a full-time career in engineering, everyday family stuff and running.